Soul to Soul (film)

1971 documentary film by Denis Sanders

For the album, see Soul to Soul (soundtrack).

Soul to Soul

Directed by| Denis Sanders
Produced by| Richard Bock, Tom Mosk
Cinematography| David Myers

Production
company

Nigram-Aura Productions

Distributed by| Cinerama Releasing Corporation

Release date

* 1971 (1971)

Running time

| 96 min.
Language| English

Soul to Soul is a 1971 documentary film about the Independence Day concert held in Accra, Ghana, on 6 March 1971. It features an array of mostly American R&B, soul, rock, and jazz musicians.[1]

Directed by Denis Sanders, Soul to Soul was released in August 1971.[1] The film consists of extensive excerpts from the concert performances, along with documentary footage of the musicians interacting with local Ghanaians in the days before the show.[2]

## Concert[edit]

Ghana, after declaring its Independence on 6 March 1957, had made a variety of efforts to connect with African diasporans, some of whom—including Maya Angelou, W. E. B. Du Bois and George Padmore—lived in the West African nation for a time. In the mid-1960s, Angelou approached the government of Kwame Nkrumah and suggested bringing a number of African-American artists to Ghana for the annual independence celebrations. Nkrumah was deposed before action could be taken, but when the American father-son team of Ed Mosk and Tom Mosk approached the Ghana Arts Council in 1970 with an idea for a concert, the Council agreed. At 1970 West Africa concert by James Brown, Brown performed in Lagos, Nigeria, but he did not perform in Ghana.

Of the musicians invited to perform, Wilson Pickett was by far the biggest star in Ghana.[3] Organizers also unsuccessfully sought performances by Americans Aretha Franklin, James Brown, Booker T & The MG's, Louis Armstrong, and gospel singer Marion Williams.

The show, with broadcaster Mike Eghan as MC,[4] was held in Black Star Square (now Independence Square).

Several at the show remarked that the band Santana, despite having only one black member, played the most "African-sounding" music of the night. Some have argued that Santana's merger of Latin rhythms with rock music strongly influenced the development of Afrobeat.[5]

## Musicians[edit]

The American artists were mostly African-American and represented a variety of musical styles:

* Wilson Pickett
* Ike & Tina Turner
* Les McCann and Eddie Harris
* The Staple Singers
* Santana, featuring Willie Bobo on timbale
* Roberta Flack
* The Voices of East Harlem

The concert also featured performances by several Ghanaian acts:

* Guy Warren, a.k.a. "The Divine Drummer," also known as Kofi Ghanaba, one of the first African musicians to play alongside American jazz musicians[6]
* The Damas Choir, perhaps the nation's most prominent vocal group since the 1940s, led by Ishmael Adams
* Charlotte Dada (sometimes spelled Dadah or Daddah), best known in the West for her soul cover of The Beatles' song "Don't Let Me Down"
* Kwa Mensah, a pioneer in highlife music and the older palmwine style
* The Kumasi Drummers, a group from the Ashanti Region
* The Aliens, Ghana's best known rock band, sometimes known as The Psychedelic Aliens or The Magic Aliens
* The Anansekromian Zounds, the house band for the Ghana Arts Council

Also performing (and seen on the film) were the Nandom Sekpere group from the Northern (now Upper West) region, and the whistle player Nakpi.

In addition, Les McCann and Eddie Harris played part of their set with a Ghanaian calabash player and medicine man named Amoah Azangeo.

## Reception[edit]

The New York Times (19 August 1971):

> "Soul to Soul" will hook you. We defy anybody to watch the final half hour of this color documentary of a soul and gospel music concert, performed in Ghana, without tapping a foot. But it is the sea of rapturous black faces, those of the visiting American artists and their Ghana audiences, that makes this movie a haunting experience … Mainly and compactly, the film sticks to the concert, brilliantly evoking the performances and crowd reactions in a flow of closeups and panoramic shots, to the stabbing, pounding pulse of the music.[1]

## Home video[edit]

The film was eventually restored thanks to a program by the Grammy Foundation that seeks to preserve important films about music, and it debuted again in February 2004 at an event at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. It was released on DVD on 24 August 2004. The new release does not include any performances by Roberta Flack, who requested their removal.[7] But it does include a soundtrack album on CD, which features tracks from all the U.S. performers excluding Santana and Flack, plus the Kumasi Drummers, the Damas Choir, and Kwa Mensah.

## See also[edit]

* Curtis Mayfield
* Funk
* Osibisa
* Soul Power
* Super Fly T.N.T.
* Wattstax (1972)

## References[edit]

1. ^ a b c Thompson, Howard (19 August 1971). "Rousing 'Soul to Soul'". The New York Times.
2. ^ "Soul to Soul (1971)|Full Cast & Crew", IMDb.
3. ^ Soul to Soul Retrieved 23 April 2022
4. ^ Arts Council of Ghana, Soul to Soul, Black Star Square, Accra, Ghana, 6th March, 1971 : with American and Ghanaian soul, R&B, gospel, jazz, latin rock and dance groups, featuring Wilson Pickett (and others) : M.C., Mike Eghan, Accra : Moxon Paperbacks, 1971. OCLC 6030924.
5. ^ ClapboardArchipelago (7 March 2021). "50 Years Ago Today [6 March 1971] The 'Soul to Soul' concert, celebrating African singers and music, takes place in Accra and features acts such as Ike and Tina Turner, Carlos Santana, and Wilson Pickett". r/ghana. Reddit. Retrieved 14 January 2022.
6. ^ "Kofi Ghanaba: Drummer who pioneered Afro-jazz", The Independent, 26 April 2022
7. ^ Haynes, Monica (24 September 2004). "New on Video: 'Soul to Soul' documents historic 1971 music festival in Ghana". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

## External links[edit]

* Soul to Soul at IMDb
* Soul to Soul (Music from the Original Soundtrack—Recorded Live in Ghana, West Africa) at Discogs (list of releases)
* "Soul to Soul at 50: A Look Back at Ghana's Legendary Music Festival"—25 February 2021 (rebroadcast 2 September 2021) episode of Afropop Worldwide on the concert and the film

* v
* t
* e

Ike & Tina Turner

* Ike Turner
* Tina Turner

* Kings of Rhythm
* The Ikettes

Studio albums|

* The Soul of Ike & Tina Turner (1961)
* Ike & Tina Turner's Kings of Rhythm Dance (1962)
* Dynamite! (1962)
* Don't Play Me Cheap (1963)
* It's Gonna Work Out Fine (1963)
* Get It – Get It (ca. 1966)
* River Deep – Mountain High (1966)
* So Fine (1968)
* Outta Season (1969)
* Cussin', Cryin' & Carryin' On (1969)
* The Hunter (1969)
* Come Together (1970)
* Workin' Together (1970)
* Her Man . . . His Woman (1971)
* 'Nuff Said (1971)
* Feel Good (1972)
* Let Me Touch Your Mind (1973)
* Nutbush City Limits (1973)
* The Gospel According to Ike & Tina (1974)
* Sweet Rhode Island Red (1974)
* Delilah's Power (1977)
* Airwaves (1978)
* The Edge (1980)

Live albums|

* Ike & Tina Turner Revue Live (1964)
* Live! The Ike & Tina Turner Show (1965)
* The Ike & Tina Turner Show – Vol. 2 (1967)
* In Person (1969)
* Ike & Tina Turner's Festival of Live Performances (1970)
* What You Hear Is What You Get (1971)
* Live in Paris – Olympia 1971 (1971)
* Live! The World of Ike & Tina (1973)

Compilations|

* The Greatest Hits of Ike & Tina Turner (1965)
* The Soul of Ike & Tina (1966)
* Souled Out (1970)
* Greatest Hits (1976)
* Get Back (1985)
* Golden Empire (1985)
* Proud Mary: The Best of Ike & Tina Turner (1991)
* Funkier Than a Mosquito's Tweeter (2002)
* His Woman, Her Man: The Ike Turner Diaries (2004)
* The Ike & Tina Turner Story: 1960–1975 (2007)

Soundtracks|

* Soul To Soul (1971)
* Here's Johnny: Magic Moments from the Tonight Show (1974)

Singles|

* "A Fool in Love" (1960)
* "I Idolize You" (1960)
* "I'm Jealous" (1961)
* "It's Gonna Work Out Fine" (1961)
* "Poor Fool" (1961)
* "Tra La La La La" (1962)
* "You Should'a Treated Me Right" (1962)
* "You Can't Miss Nothing That You Never Had" (1964)
* "A Fool for a Fool" (1964)
* "I Can't Believe What You Say (for Seeing What You Do)" (1964)
* "Please, Please, Please" (1964)
* "He's the One" (1964)
* "Tell Her I'm Not Home" (1965)
* "Somebody Needs You" (1965)
* "Good Bye, So Long" (1965)
* "I Don't Need" (1965)
* "Two Is a Couple" (1965)
* "Can't Chance a Break Up" (1965)
* "Something's Got a Hold of Me" (1966)
* "Dust My Broom" (1966)
* "River Deep – Mountain High" (1966)
* "I'll Never Need More Than This" (1967)
* "A Love Like Yours" (1967)
* "So Fine" (1968)
* "I'm Gonna Do All I Can (to Do Right by My Man)" (1969)
* "I've Been Loving You Too Long" (1969)
* "I Wish It Would Rain" (1969)
* "The Hunter" (1969)
* "I Know" (1969)
* "Bold Soul Sister" (1969)
* "Come Together" (1969)
* "I Want to Take You Higher" (1970)
* "Respect" (1970)
* "Workin' Together"
* "Proud Mary" (1971)
* "Funkier Than a Mosquita's Tweeter" (1971)
* "Ooh Poo Pah Doo" (1971)
* "You Don't Love Me (Yes I Know)" (1971)
* "I'm Yours (Use Me Anyway You Wanna)" (1971)
* "Get Back" (1972)
* "Up in Heah" (1972)
* "Feel Good" (1972)
* "She Came In Through the Bathroom Window" (1972)
* "Let Me Touch Your Mind" (1972)
* "With a Little Help from My Friends" (1973)
* "Early One Morning" (1973)
* "Nutbush City Limits" (1973)
* "Sweet Rhode Island Red" (1974)
* "Sexy Ida" (1974)
* "Baby, Get It On" (1975)
* "Shame, Shame, Shame" (1982)
* "Living for the City" (1985)
* "Shake a Hand" (1986)
* "Raise Your Hand (U Got To)" (2005)

Video albums|

* The Best of MusikLaden Live (2004)
* The Legends Ike & Tina Turner Live in '71 (2004)

Filmography|

* The Big T.N.T. Show (1965)
* Gimme Shelter (1970)
* It's Your Thing (1970)
* Taking Off (1971)
* Good Vibrations From Central Park (1971)
* Soul To Soul (1971)
* Ike & Tina On The Road: 1971–72 (2012)

Live performances|

| Concert tours|

* The Rolling Stones British Tour 1966
* The Rolling Stones American Tour 1969

|

Other performances|

* Grand Gala du Disque (1969)
* Newport Pop Festival (1969)
* Seattle Pop Festival (1969)
* Gold Rush (1969)
* Newport Jazz Festival (1970)
* Schaefer Music Festival (1970)
* Soul Bowl (1970)
* Festival of Hope Rockfest (1972)
* Jazz Bilzen (1975)

Related topics|

* Discography
* Club Imperial
* Club Manhattan
* "Boxtop"
* Bolic Sound
* Prann Records
* Sony Records
* Teena Records
* Sonja Records
* Innis Records
* What's Love Got to Do with It

* v
* t
* e

Santana

* Carlos Santana
* Andy Vargas
* Benny Rietveld
* David K Mathews
* Karl Perazzo
* Paoli Mejías
* Ray Greene
* Tommy Anthony
* Cindy Blackman Santana

* Neal Schon
* Gregg Rolie
* Michael Carabello
* Michael Shrieve
* José "Chepito" Areas

* Tony Lindsay
* David Brown
* Francisco Aguabella
* Coke Escovedo
* Tom Coster
* Doug Rauch
* Marcus Malone
* Leon Thomas
* Leon Patillo
* Richard Kermode
* Leon "Ndugu" Chancler
* Armando Peraza
* Gaylord Birch
* Graham Lear
* Alex Ligertwood
* Alan Pasqua
* Orestes Vilató
* David Sancious
* Chester Thompson
* Alphonso Johnson
* Buddy Miles
* Walfredo Reyes Jr.
* Curtis Salgado
* Horacio "El Negro" Hernández
* Dennis Chambers

Studio albums|

* Santana (1969)
* Abraxas (1970)
* Santana III (1971)
* Caravanserai (1972)
* Welcome (1973)
* Borboletta (1974)
* Amigos (1976)
* Festival (1977)
* Moonflower (1977)
* Inner Secrets (1978)
* Marathon (1979)
* Zebop! (1981)
* Shangó (1982)
* Beyond Appearances (1985)
* Freedom (1987)
* Spirits Dancing in the Flesh (1990)
* Milagro (1992)
* Supernatural (1999)
* Shaman (2002)
* All That I Am (2005)
* Guitar Heaven (2010)
* Shape Shifter (2012)
* Corazón (2014)
* Santana IV (2016)
* Power of Peace (2017)
* Africa Speaks (2019)
* Blessings and Miracles (2021)

Live albums|

* Lotus (1974)
* Moonflower (1977)
* Sacred Fire: Live in South America (1993)
* Live at the Fillmore 1968 (1997)
* The Very Best of Santana – Live in 1968 (2007)
* The Woodstock Experience (2009)

Compilations|

* Santana's Greatest Hits (1974)
* The Very Best of Santana (1981)
* Viva Santana! (1988)
* The Best of Santana (1991)
* The Definitive Collection (1992)
* Dance of the Rainbow Serpent (1995)
* The Ultimate Collection (1997)
* Best Instrumentals Vol. 2 (1999)
* The Best of Santana Vol. 2 (2000)
* The Essential Santana (2002)
* Ceremony: Remixes & Rarities (2003)
* Love Songs (2004)
* Ultimate Santana (2007)
* Multi-Dimensional Warrior (2008)

Extended plays|

* In Search of Mona Lisa (2019)

Singles|

* "Jin-go-lo-ba" (1969)
* "Evil Ways" (1969)
* "Black Magic Woman" (1970)
* "Oye Como Va" (1971)
* "No One to Depend On" (1972)
* "Samba Pa Ti" (1973)
* "Europa (Earth's Cry Heaven's Smile)" (1976)
* "She's Not There" (1977)
* "You Know That I Love You" (1979)
* "Winning" (1981)
* "I Love You Much Too Much" (1981)
* "Hold On" (1982)
* "Gypsy Woman" (1990)
* "Smooth" (1999)
* "Put Your Lights On" (1999)
* "Maria Maria" (1999)
* "Corazón Espinado" (2000)
* "The Game of Love" (2002)
* "Nothing at All" (2003)
* "Feels Like Fire" (2003)
* "Sideways" (2003)
* "Why Don't You & I" (2003)
* "I'm Feeling You" (2005)
* "Just Feel Better" (2005)
* "Cry Baby Cry" (2005)
* "No Llores"
* "Into the Night" (2005)
* "This Boy's Fire" (2008)
* "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" (2010)
* "Photograph" (2010)
* "Fortunate Son" (2010)
* "Under the Bridge" (2010)
* "Dance the Night Away" (2010)
* "Sunshine of Your Love" (2011)

Other songs|

* "Soul Sacrifice" (1969)

Live
performances|

* 1960s–1970s
* Caravanserai Tour
* Welcome Tour
* 1980s
* Bob Dylan/Santana European Tour 1984
* Spirits Dancing in the Flesh Tour
* A 25–Year Celebration Tour
* Never Ending Tour 1993
* Supernatural Tour
* All Is One Tour
* Shaman Tour
* Latin American Tour 2005
* Embrace Your Light Tour
* The Voice, The Guitar, The Songs Tour
* Supernatural Now Tour
* Miraculous 2020 World Tour
* Miraculous Supernatural Tour

Carlos Santana
solo albums|

| Studio|

* Love Devotion Surrender
* Illuminations
* Oneness: Silver Dreams Golden Realities
* The Swing of Delight
* Havana Moon
* Blues for Salvador
* Santana Brothers

|

Live|

* Carlos Santana & Buddy Miles! Live!
* Carlos Santana Live
* Live at the Montreux Jazz Festival 1988

Related articles|

* Band members
* Discography
* Videography
* Awards and nominations
* Carlos Santana discography

* Category

* v
* t
* e

Roberta Flack

Studio albums|

* First Take (1969)
* Chapter Two (1970)
* Quiet Fire (1971)
* Roberta Flack & Donny Hathaway (1972)
* Killing Me Softly (1973)
* Feel Like Makin' Love (1975)
* Blue Lights in the Basement (1977)
* Roberta Flack (1978)
* Roberta Flack Featuring Donny Hathaway (1980)
* I'm the One (1982)
* Born to Love (1983)
* Oasis (1988)
* Set the Night to Music (1991)
* Roberta (1994)
* The Christmas Album (1997)

Live albums|

* Live & More (1980)
* At Her Best – Live (2008)

Soundtrack albums|

* Soul to Soul (1971)
* Bustin' Loose (1981)

Compilation albums|

* The Best of Roberta Flack (1981)
* Greatest Hits (1984)
* Softly with These Songs: The Best of Roberta Flack (1993)
* The Very Best of Roberta Flack (2006)

Singles|

* "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face"
* "You've Got a Friend"
* "Where Is the Love"
* "Killing Me Softly with His Song"
* "Jesse" (1973)
* "Feel Like Makin' Love"
* "The Closer I Get to You"
* "If Ever I See You Again"
* "Making Love"
* "Tonight, I Celebrate My Love"
* "Oasis"
* "Uh-Uh Ooh-Ooh Look Out (Here It Comes)"

Filmography|

* Soul to Soul (1971)

Related articles|

* Discography
* Donny Hathaway

* v
* t
* e

The Staple Singers

* Pops Staples
* Cleotha Staples
* Pervis Staples
* Yvonne Staples
* Mavis Staples

Albums|

* Uncloudy Day (1959)
* Freedom Highway (1965)
* The Staple Swingers (1971)
* Be Altitude: Respect Yourself (1972)
* Be What You Are (1973)
* City in the Sky (1974)
* Let's Do It Again (1975)

Singles|

* "Respect Yourself"
* "I'll Take You There"
* "If You're Ready (Come Go with Me)"
* "Touch a Hand, Make a Friend"
* "Let's Do It Again"

Soundtrack|

* Soul to Soul (1971)

Filmography|

* Soul to Soul (1971)
* Mavis! (2015)

* v
* t
* e

Eddie Harris

Studio albums|

* Exodus to Jazz (1961)
* Mighty Like a Rose (1961)
* Jazz for "Breakfast at Tiffany's" (1961)
* A Study in Jazz (1962)
* Eddie Harris Goes to the Movies (1962)
* Bossa Nova (1963)
* For Bird and Bags (1964)
* Cool Sax, Warm Heart (1964)
* Here Comes the Judge (1964)
* Cool Sax from Hollywood to Broadway (1965)
* The In Sound (1965)
* Mean Greens (1966)
* The Tender Storm (1967)
* The Electrifying Eddie Harris (1968)
* Plug Me In (1968)
* Silver Cycles (1968)
* Free Speech (1969)
* Come On Down! (1970)
* Second Movement (1971)
* Instant Death (1971)
* Eddie Harris Sings the Blues (1972)
* Excursions (1973)
* E.H. in the U.K. (1974)
* Is It In (1974)
* I Need Some Money (1974)
* Bad Luck Is All I Have (1975)
* That Is Why You're Overweight (1975)
* The Reason Why I'm Talking S--t 1976 (1975)
* How Can You Live Like That? (1976)
* I'm Tired of Driving (1978)
* Playin' with Myself (1979)
* Sounds Incredible (1980)
* Steps Up (1981)
* The Real Electrifying Eddie Harris (1982)

Live albums|

* High Voltage (1969)
* Swiss Movement (1969)
* Live at Newpoart (1970)

Soundtrack albums|

* Pourquoi L'Amérique (1968)
* Soul to Soul (1971)

* v
* t
* e

Les McCann

Years given are for the recording(s), not first release, except where noted. As Les McCann Ltd is often used in the titles for the albums up to 1964, this has been omitted.

Albums

leader

co-leader|

* It's About Time (with Teddy Edwards, 1959)
* The Truth (1960)
* The Shout (1960)
* In San Francisco (1960)
* From the Top of the Barrel (1960)
* Groove (with Richard "Groove" Holmes and Ben Webster, 1961)
* In New York (1961)
* Plays the Shampoo (1961)
* New from the Big City (1961)
* Pretty Lady (1961)
* Les McCann Sings (1961)
* Somethin' Special (with Richard "Groove" Holmes, 1962)
* On Time (1962)
* The Gospel Truth (1963)
* Soul Hits (1963)
* Jazz Waltz (with The Jazz Crusaders, 1963)
* A Bag of Gold (1963–64)
* McCanna (1964)
* Spanish Onions (1964)
* McCann/Wilson (with Nancy Wilson (1964)
* But Not Really (1964)
* Beaux J. Pooboo (1965)
* Live at Shelly's Manne-Hole (1965)
* Les McCann Plays the Hits (1966)
* Bucket o' Grease (1966)
* Live at Bohemian Caverns - Washington, DC (1967)
* Much Les (1968)
* Swiss Movement (and Eddie Harris, 1969)
* Comment (1969)
* Invitation to Openness (1971)
* Second Movement (with Eddie Harris, 1971)
* Layers (1972)
* Live at Montreux (1972)
* Talk to the People (1972)
* Another Beginning (1974)

With
others|

* Tell It Like It Tis (Richard "Groove" Holmes, 1962)
* Stormy Monday (with Lou Rawls, 1962)
* That's Where It's At (Stanley Turrentine, 1962)
* Straight Ahead (Stanley Turrentine, 1984)
* Go Tell It on the Mountain (The Blind Boys of Alabama, 2003)

Soundtracks|

* Soul To Soul (1971)

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